The traditional/original skateboard truck is basically a roller skate assembly from an individual skate split in half and attached to the bottom of a piece of wood (e.g., skateboard deck). Many alternatives to traditional skateboard trucks have been made in the fifty years since the invention of the traditional skateboard truck. The design, geometry, and components of modern skateboard trucks have improved since the first skateboard trucks were invented but the basic mechanism, design and principles of operation are still the same as those original trucks.
Skateboard trucks have several components which are held together by a kingpin including a hanger, a baseplate, and one or more bushings. The hanger has an axle to which the skateboard wheels (and bearings) are attached; the baseplate is the component that is used to attach the truck to the deck. The bushings have a cylindrical hole through the center that accommodates the kingpin and are typically cylindrical in form (cone, barrel, or stepped).
An important component of skateboard trucks is the bushings which are made of an elastic material. Typical skateboard bushings are cylindrical in nature and have a cylindrical passage in the center through which the kingpin passes. Common bushings that are cylindrical in nature are cone bushings, barrel bushings, and stepped bushings. Generally speaking there are two bushings per truck and four per board. The type and hardness of the bushing effects turning, stability, and shock absorption. Nowadays aftermarket elastic bushings are available for skateboard trucks that differ in their hardness (e.g., different durometer). For the sake of continuity, the elastic member in this patent application that corresponds to standard skateboard truck bushings will also be referred to as bushings in the trucks described herein.
The bushing(s), hanger and baseplate are held together in traditional trucks by a bolt called the kingpin. Because the bolt in this patent application also performs the function of holding the components of the truck together, the bolt is also called the kingpin or single supporting kingpin.
Traditional skateboard and longboard trucks also have another component commonly called the pivot cup. The pivot cup is usually made of a semi-hard elastic material which sits in a seat or housing in the baseplate of the truck forming the component called the pivot. Because the location of the locking pivot in the truck of the invention is located in roughly the same position, performs a similar function, it is described herein using a similar name to that in the traditional truck. It is noted though that the mechanics and geometry of the locking pivot of the truck described herein offers distinct advantages to the typical pivot, including unexpectedly excellent riding characteristics.
The hanger of a typical truck has a corresponding male piece which sits inside the pivot cup seat, or housing, forming one end of the pivot axis. The other end of the pivot axis is the seat of the hanger resting on the baseplate side bushing of the skateboard. The angle at which the pivot axis lies in relation baseplate (or deck) determines the pivot axis of the skateboard and in combination with the length of the pivot axis determines the lean to steer ratio property.
At the time of writing this application, virtually the only skateboard trucks available for street skating are very similar to the ones being used in the 70s. Most of the longboard trucks available are very similar to those in street skating and even use many of the same components.
These traditional skateboard trucks are by far the most used skateboard trucks and could be viewed as the only trucks being used, because alternatives to these traditional products are seen as “fringe products” (or experimental), have not gained popularity, or shown commercial success.
Another type of truck is used for off-road skateboarding and typically uses fixed axis trucks.
Many of the alternative trucks that have been made over the years use a design where the hanger pivots around a bolt or a pin to create the pivot axis.
The problem with many of these bolt or pin pivot axis designs is that they offer very little shock absorption. This is usually because the bolt or pin is fixed in the base plate and the hanger and all of the contact points of the parts are hard contact (metal on metal) leaving little or no shock absorption capability.
Shock absorption in both long boarding and street skating is extremely critical and there is a need to have a truck that offers greater shock absorption, since the sport involves a lot of jumping and landing on the board, sometimes from large heights. There is also a need for good shock absorption in longboarding that would improve traction. Additionally, by absorbing vibration from the road, the trucks described herein help maintain traction much like a cars suspension system and transfer less “road” vibration to the rider.